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MBS aTOM 20 REVIEW!!!

Last week I had the opportunity to receive and test and evaluate a racquet made by MBS mybadmintonstore.com called the aTOM 20, which is the second generation of the aTOM racquet. The first generation was tested and reviewed by Kwun here on Badminton Central about a year and half ago. At first, I did not know what to expect, but knew it would be quite fun to have one in my hands to try out. After reading the review of the aTOM 10 racquet, I soon discovered I was in for a treat. Winston of MBS confirmed that he had posted the racquet and that I should be expecting it in a couple weeks. But to my surprise, my doorbell rang just 5 days later and standing there was the postman with a package from Hong Kong. Like a little kid on Christmas morning, I ran to my study to open the package. What I found inside was a strikingly attractive racquet. It wasn’t too flashy, but still had the look of a racquet that meant business. Construction quality was top notch with paint color being consistent with the printing very nicely done and sharp. To add some “bling” traces of elements of racquet much more expensive were added such as the chrome foil “zig zag” graphics along the 4 o’ clock and 7 o’ clock part of the racquet head.
Out of the box, the bare racquet weighed 79.26 grams, using my postal scale, which is in “spec” to this model. I quickly strung it with matching BG-80 Power orange string at 25lbs and covered the grip with a Yonex orange over-grip. The racquet strung with ease and with little distortion during tensioning pulls. Grommets felt a little softer than usual, but were of good quality. I measured the BP at 304mm with string and over-grip which again is still “spec” to the racquet. The color combination made the racquet really stand out, and made this a definite “eye catcher.” Though the graphics and design is not too flashy, the color combination made up for it.
First impression dry swinging this racquet compared to my current favorite racquet the Yonex ArcSaber FB was very admirable. It had a great feel to it. Great balance and weight. I did have reservations about the shaft stiffness though. Felt about medium stiff to me which is a big difference from what I was use to. As I approached the court, I was filled with excitement and anticipation. I truly was eager to test out this racquet from MBS. Immediately out of my racquet bag, it drew lots of attention. Orange and black! This was great! I got on the court and immediately I felt a smile cross my face when I made my first hit during my warm up. Clears where made with ease, accompanied by great power and control. You can tell a good racquet when the strings impact the shuttle. The racquet vibration was to none as I hit the shuttle harder and harder. It felt good and sounded great! But this was just the beginning……….
Next was game time. I was hesitant at first to play a game with a racquet I only tried out for 10 minutes, but now was better than never to test it out during competition. The racquet played like it was suppose to with ease. Defense was great given the light weight. Smashes were powerful and fast. One thing I did notice though was that my drives down the sidelines were not staying in. Due to the flex of the shaft, my shots were going out because I was hitting the shuttle a split second later. But I’m sure this would be resolved with more practice with the racquet.
In conclusion, I would rate this racquet a 9/10 as is a perfect racquet for intermediate to advance players. I personally would like to see a stiffer shaft, in the future, but that would change the ease of use for a greater range of players. So I’d have to say, MBS, really did a great job engineering this aTOM 20 racquet to be an all-around great racquet fit for all ages and playing types. For a good bang for your money, I highly recommend this racquet to anyone who is on a budget.

Hi, I dont know if you have noticed your little mistake at the second and third cross?
It looks like a nice racket, and I also wanna test it It looks like the orange at the bottom is different? What about its wet specs?

Hi, I dont know if you have noticed your little mistake at the second and third cross?
It looks like a nice racket, and I also wanna test it It looks like the orange at the bottom is different? What about its wet specs?

I generally do not have a much of a preference for colors, I don't love or hate but this orange is not my taste, makes me think of Halloween and pumpkins. Oh, and I never get anything as fast as 5 days from MBS.